ANTI-hunt activists say they will disrupt the cull of wild boar in the Forest by making it 'unsafe' for marksmen to shoot at night.

The annual cull of the animals by shooting is carried out by the Forestry Commission between autumn and spring.

But the Sab the Boar Cull group says it now has supporters in thermal reduction suits out every night at 'known shooting points' to make it unsafe for Commission rangers to shoot.

The rangers use body heat monitors to pinpoint targets and to ensure there are no people nearby.

Sab the Boar Cull says it has sought legal advice on the move and on taking pictures of rangers who shoot boar – which it says it will publish.

The Forestry Commission says it will 'work around' individuals who try to disrupt the cull.

The move comes as TV naturalist Iolo Williams made public his opposition to the cull.

In a statement to the Deputy Surveyor of the Forest, Kevin Stannard, the group said the thermal reduction had been shown to work in the badger cull.

It adds: "We have done this to make it unsafe for you to shoot at night.

"Our legal team advise us that in doing this we have advised you of the danger and, as such, any accident is your responsibility."

The group also says it will take photos on public land of rangers shooting boar and publish them.

A spokesman told the Review: "If we get pictures of rangers butchering boar at night many local people will come out in support.

"We are only interested in stopping the cullers."

The group also accused the Forestry Commission of seeming "not to care a jot" about poaching and vowed 'in the absence of anyone else' that it would police it.

The spokesman told the Review: "We have no interest in making citizens' arrests, but we have physically stopped illegal poachers."

A spokeswoman for the Forestry Commission said:?"Forestry Commission staff will work around any individuals who attempt to disrupt the cull, always ensuring safety considerations are the highest priority."

She said Gloucestershire Police were aware of the protest but declined to comment further.

Iolo Williams, a presenter with the BBC's Springwatch and Autumn Watch, spoke out in support of a campaign by welfare and conservation group A Wild Life with Animals.

He said: "I am appalled to learn that a government-backed wild boar cull is being carried out, day and night, in the Forest of Dean. 

"Wild boar are part of our heritage and our natural fauna and the fact that they are back in the woodlands of Gloucestershire after an absence of several centuries should be a reason for celebration. 

"Instead, we are witnessing a mass cull based on intolerance and aesthetic damage rather than a control programme based on sound scientific knowledge.

"This is yet another example of this so-called 'green' government's destruction of our most precious wild creatures."